Agencies partner up to represent authors of romance and more
The Gernert Company and Bookcase Literary Agency are partnering to represent self-published and debut authors of commercial fiction marketed to women.
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Bookselling trends discussed at ABA’s Winter Institute
At last week’s annual conference for booksellers, an industry analyst at Circana BookScan shared trends and insights from 2025 sales.
Selling Audio Direct: Curios Is Worth a Look
Curios hopes to offer a streamlined solution for the array of logistical challenges that come with selling audio direct.
Julia Quinn’s Kickstarter for historical romance approaches $500k raised
Fundraising for her subscription box has already raised more than $400,000, with a month left to go.
Ingram launches Edelweiss competitor
As Edelweiss increases pricing, making small publishers especially doubt whether the service is truly worthwhile, Ingram is entering the fray.
Book sales update: Feb. 25, 2026
Hachette enjoyed 11% sales growth in 2025, partly due to the success of Freida McFadden and the Reese Witherspoon collaboration with Harlan Coben.
Can AI Give Better Submissions Feedback Than a Human Agent or Editor?
We review Request the Full, an AI service for writers who want to gain a realistic sense of whether their work is ready to query.
New horror imprint at Zando
Evil Twin will release its first title this summer, with six to eight titles planned each year.
Links of Interest: Feb. 25, 2026
The latest in trends, social media, audio, media, culture & politics, and AI.
New agent at HJLit
Irene Kaster is seeking romance, fiction set in the rural Midwest or mountain towns, nonfiction, and more.
Spotify launches rankings list, Audiobook Charts
They are similar to Spotify’s music and podcast charts, updated every week.
ALLi launches the Indie Author Bookstore
The store, featuring work by ALLi members, is designed to help readers and influencers discover self-published authors across all genres.
Harlequin will close the Harlequin Historical romance line in 2027
In a statement, Harlequin said the reason is “due to changing global market conditions.”
Traditional Deals for Self-Pub Authors Grew Significantly in 2025
Not only has the number of deals grown in 2025, but they are often multi-book deals in the six figures, with more publishers than ever competing for successful indie author series.
New UK publisher: Pellerin Books
Pellerin Books will focus on popular fiction by traditionally published and self-published authors.
Links of Interest: Feb. 18, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, AI, marketing & promotion, and culture & politics.
Audible reminds customers you can seamlessly switch between its audiobooks and Kindle books
In response to Spotify’s Page Match, Audible has rebranded its similar Whispersync for Voice feature (launched in 2012) as “Read & Listen.”
New agent at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
René Kooiker has joined as a junior agent actively building his list in fiction and nonfiction. He is open to submissions.
Anthropic settlement database may list distributors, not publishers, for included works
A heads up to author-publishers, small publishers, or even sizable publishers that may not realize they have unclaimed books in the database.
Spotify launches Page Match and partners with Bookshop on print sales
Page Match allows readers to move seamlessly between a printed book and its audiobook on Spotify.
Book sales update: Feb. 11, 2026
According to the AAP, consumer book sales across all formats in 2025 were slightly down (0.9 percent) versus 2024.
IMHO: Why I’m Grateful for the New York Times Article on AI Romance
The romance market is the place to look for early signs of what the future may hold, thanks to voracious readers and hefty profits to be made.
New agent at L Perkins Agency
David Valentin joins as an agent after first working as an editor and assistant at LPA.
Hachette Children’s Group in the UK launches three new imprints
As part of a restructure, Hachette Children’s Group (UK) has launched three new imprints: Starboard, Tempest, and Blyton Books.
Links of Interest: Feb. 11, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, nonfiction sales, AI, and culture & politics.
Indie Authors Can Now Sell Ebooks at Bookshop via Draft2Digital
The partnership gives self-published authors an important new outlet for selling ebooks outside of Amazon.
On the List: I’m Not Trying to Be Difficult by Drew Nieporent
The memoir tells Nieporent’s story of being a middle-class kid from New York’s East Side who developed a lifelong passion for food.
New trade show for New Age spirituality publishers and wholesalers
The show, called Namaste, is being launched by Texas Bookman, the wholesale division of Half Price Books.
IPG partners with Beat to sell digital books
Publishers who distribute with Independent Publishers Group (IPG) can now sell digital books directly to consumer via Shelf.
Links of Interest: Feb. 4, 2026
The latest in hockey romance, trends, micro dramas, distribution, media & tech, and AI.
New agent at Calligraph
Jane McGehee has joined as literary agent and foreign rights manager; previously she was a scout.
New contest for novelists around the globe
ProWritingAid has launched a novel-writing contest called Novel Beginnings, with prizes ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.
Washington Post shutters book section after one-third of staff laid off this morning
The newspaper is closing the sports desk and books section; the international desk, among other areas, will also shrink.
New agent at The Rights Factory
Eman Bare will represent both fiction and nonfiction. She has worked as a journalist, lawyer, and brand strategist.
Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) names first executive director
The professional organization for literary agents, the AALA, has named Daniel O’Brien as its first-ever executive director.
Readers respond: nonfiction sales
Ann Kjellberg of Book Post responded to my 2026 prediction that nonfiction will continue to suffer declines because of online competition.
Subscription Boxes for Authors: Are They Worth the Investment?
Authors are profiting off subscription boxes that offer exclusive editions and merchandise that can’t be acquired elsewhere. But they require significant time and investment.
New commercial fiction imprint: Wildthorn Books
The new Tor imprint will publish upmarket women’s fiction, suspense, paranormal mystery, magical realism, and historical fantasy.
New commercial fiction imprint: akaSTORY
Abrams, perhaps best known for art and illustrated books, including comics and graphic novels, is launching a new commercial fiction imprint.
We Need Diverse Books launches Unbanned Book Network
The organization will donate books by authors who have been banned, starting with 20 schools in states where bans are most prevalent.
Audiobook platform Libro.fm launches annual subscription
The platform that supports independent booksellers has launched a new subscription plan offering users 12 credits for $169.99 per year.
Links of Interest: Jan. 28, 2026
The latest in traditional publishing, media, AI, and culture & politics.
Anthropic possibly purchased 1 million print books for scanning and AI model training
In addition to pirating ebooks, they bought print books from wholesalers and used book retailers, including Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
New publisher: Homeward Books
The independent publisher is cofounded by writers who raised $30,000 on Kickstarter.
Should Unpublished Writers Enter Writing Contests?
Are they worth the investment, both financial and emotional? Yes—if the contest is legitimate and the prize offers value to the writer.
On the List: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Many booksellers have told the author they recommend it, then the same reader comes back to buy copies for friends, relatives, and others.
New agency: Andrea Colvin Creative Agency
The agency specializes in children’s books and will represent both authors and illustrators. Colvin previously founded Little, Brown Ink.
New UK agent at Madeleine Milburn Agency
Callen Martin has joined the agency and will represent children’s and YA science fiction and fantasy fiction.
New prize for novels: The Libraro Prize
The winner receives a book deal with Hachette UK with a £30,000 advance and £20,000 towards the marketing of the finished book.